Leader is Here
by Be My Master
Summary: Though it doesn't say how Jonas got the name "Leader", this story is about how I think Jonas was found and what went on during his first day at Village. R&R Please!


**Leader Is Here**

As Jonas collapsed before the soft glow of light and the sound of music drifting in the air, he had, for a moment, wanted to wake up in the Givers house, his back under the warm and protective withered hands he knew so well. But as he fell, he knew he wouldn't. He felt Gabriel's heart beat slowly against his own sluggish beat, and he hopped the Gabe would last a few minutes longer. He tried to call for help, but his voice was hoarse, and it hurt to use it. His head fell to the ground as he struggled to breathe in the cold air around him, and his eyes were slowly closing. Before they shut, he saw a pair of feet appear next to him, and he felt hands, mercifully warm hands, touch his arms.

…

When Jonas woke, he couldn't move. He tried to flex his fingers, and he managed to move them slightly. He felt heat, coming towards him in waves. He opened his eyes, and saw, for the first time since his last memory had faded, he saw red; and blue, and green and purple, all of the colours he knew of and more. His nose was hit by an invasion of smells; spicy and juicy and sweet. He heard the soft strum of an instrument, though he didn't know which one. Under his fingers, he felt a softness he hadn't felt before. It was overwhelming. Jonas shut his eyes, and tried to wake up from the memory.

…

Jonas felt the warm hands on his shoulder as he stirred from his fitful sleep. As he opened his eyes, Jonas saw a man, whose eyes were there, but gone. His eyes didn't seem to look at Jonas, but they saw him. Jonas rubbed his eyes and tried to sit. There was a pain in his body, and he doubled over, moaning. He hadn't felt this pain in reality; only in the memories. The man reached forward and gently moved him back to a laying position.

"Where am I?" Jonas asked, his voice soft.

"Village," the man said. "You were found outside the border, and we brought you in. The infant you brought with you-"

"Gabe!" Jonas sat up straight, immediately regretted it, but pushed the pain from his mind. "Where is Gabe?"

"He is here." The man stood and moved to the other side of the room. He walked as if he could see, and he didn't bump into anything. "He is sleeping. He was almost dead when we found you, but then again, so were you." The man returned to Jonas's side with a tray. On it was a mug of soup, its rich aroma swirling up to Jonas's nose. It made Jonas's mouth water. "Careful, it's hot."

Jonas nodded, taking the soup and wrapping his cold fingers around it. He liked the feel of hot soup sliding down his throat, warming his body. The food in his Community had been tepid, so no one ever burned themselves.

"My name is Christopher," the blind man said. "But the people who live here in Village call me Seer. It is my true name."

"But you're blind," Jonas blurted. He scolded himself for the rudeness. "I apologies for my rudeness."

"It's not a problem," Seer said, his voice alive with laughter. "Many have had the same reaction. What is your name?"

"Jonas." He smiled at Seer, happy to have found a friend. "I come from a Community, far away. I lived there for thirteen years, with my… family, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Seer asked.

"My mother and father were not my birth parents and my sister wasn't related to me in any way." Jonas looked down at his mug of soup. The mug was brown, simple but useful and plain. There was a carving on the side of it, though, of a bird. In its claws were a needle and an apple. "I will miss them…"

The man seemed to sense his sadness. "I had a wife, once. She and I lived in a small village near here. It's about a three day journey. I wanted to go back for her, but the men who tried to kill me would still be there."

Jonas looked shocked. "They tried to kill you? In my Community, violence was never tolerated, but no one was ever violent. We all had everything we needed, so we had nothing to fight over."

"In my village, everyone was poor. We needed things we never got, we wanted things we didn't need. There was jealousy and violence, and everyone hated each other for some reason or other. But my Katrina, she was full of compassion. She was perfect." Seer seemed to be lost in his thought. "She was pregnant," he mumbled.

Jonas didn't want to disrupt the man's thoughts, so he continued to sip his soup. He yawned, placing a hand over his mouth. He felt sleepy and fuzzy with the soup in his stomach. "Sir," Jonas said.

Seer smiled. "There's no need for such formalities."

Jonas nodded. "Christopher, do you mind if I sleep here again?"

"Of course not," Seer said with a smile. "I will go and give you some peace." Before Seer left the room, he pointed to a smaller room to the right of this one. "If you need to relieve yourself during the night, you can do it in there."

Jonas thanked the man and lay down, pulling the blanket close around his neck. He fell into a peaceful sleep.

…

As the sun rose over Village, Jonas found himself tangled in his blanket. Perhaps it hadn't been such a peaceful sleep, though Jonas couldn't remember any dreams. He saw the Seer walking around the room, and he smelt the cooking meat. Jonas couldn't recall what it tasted like, but he knew it was meat. Seer seemed to feel that Jonas was awake, and he turned to smile fondly at the boy.

"Morning," Jonas said, rubbing his eye. He ran a hand through his hair, surprised by the softness of his wavy locks. He looked down at his hands, and found them scrubbed clean. "Shouldn't I be filthy?"

Seer laughed lightly. "Some of the Villagers cleaned you. They were delighted to see your hair was blonde. Light hair isn't very common around these parts."

Jonas tugged on a strand of his hair, trying to see the shade. He hadn't spent much time looking at himself over his life, and he only vaguely knew what he looked like. He was shocked to see that his hair was no longer the dull, colourless shade which he thought it was. Jonas had seen other peoples colours, but never thought he see his own.

"What do I look like?" Jonas asked, then chastised himself.

Seer laughed. "I'm not sure, though I imagine you have blonde hair, and light blue eyes."

"Blue," Jonas said. "I have blue eyes. And so does Gabriel. Where is he, by the way?"

Seer went to another room and brought Gabe in. Gabe squealed happily when he saw Jonas, and Jonas couldn't help but smile. He held out his arms for the squirming child, who happily curled up in Jonas's strong arms. Jonas moved to the window, where he looked out to his new world. The colours were sapped out of the plants and buildings by the snow that was piled up tall. People made their way through the streets, and they waved and smiled to one another.

It seemed like a nice place to live.


End file.
